Abstract:
Aerodynamic improvements in automotive racing can have a significant effect
on vehicle performance. Recent developments in Formula SAE (Society of
Automotive Engineers) have included the design and implementation of aerodynamic
devices such as inverted wings and undertrays to improve performance. In this work
the literature of undertray technology is presented and a design of an undertray for
the Global Formula Racing car is developed. Computational Fluid Dynamics
simulations are used to iterate the design and discover the effect on the downforce
developed of various vehicle parameters such as speed, ride height and roll.
Predicted performance is then tested using on-track data and statistical analysis is
preformed on lap times from a back-to-back comparison to identify the gain of the
undertray. The comparison shows a 31% error from predicted to measured
downforce, with a statistically significant 1% improvement in lap times.
